Updated: November 12, 2020 6:50:37 pm
The statue will be unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (File photo)
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually unveils a life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus on Thursday night, we tell you when and why the statue was approved, the controversy surrounding it, and why the university students are protesting.
Approval of the statue
It was on June 30, 2017 that the Executive Council (EC) of JNU he first gave his approval for the statue. The administration said it was installing the statue to give the campus a “nicer look” as Vivekananda had contributed to “nation building”.
It was decided to erect a statue with “adequate raised platform, stone paths, benches, lights and interconnected works, including utilities.” Rector III, Rana Pratap Singh, had said The Indian Express the statue’s suggestion had come from JNU’s engineering department.
📣 Express Explained is now on Telegram
The statue could be seen as one of many steps taken or suggested by the administration to instill nationalist fervor in students. Shortly after the February 2016 incident of alleged anti-national slogans being raised on campus, the JNU vice chancellor recommended installing a military tank on campus. A road in JNU has also been named after the Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar, and the central library has also been renamed BR Ambedkar.
Silent manager on funding
Once the news was made public, for the remainder of 2017 and all of 2018, the administration was silent on who was financing the statue and how much it would cost. No further details were revealed about the statue’s height or where exactly it would be built.
Then the president of the JNU Student Union, N Sai Balaji, presented several RTIs to learn about the funding. In January 2018, he filed an RTI looking for the full cost of the statue’s construction, as well as the source of its funding, but the university provided evasive answers such as “JNU funds are not being used.”
In response to another RTI request from Balaji, the JNU Deputy Secretary (Finance) in May 2018 said that “no request was received from the engineering department regarding the construction of the Vivekananda statue in Ad Block.”
“It’s ironic, since any construction at JNU that takes place is done by the engineering department,” the JNUSU had said at the time.
Sometime from November to December 2018, construction of the statue began in the administrative block. On December 3, 2018, JNU Registrar Pramod Kumar said in a statement that “one of his (JNU) alumni” was “voluntarily managing all expenses related to the manufacture and installation of the statue.” However, to date no student details have been provided.
Alleged disfigurement
In November 2019, the JNU administration filed a police complaint saying that the statue, which had been kept covered by a saffron veil, supposedly had been disfigured and messages were written “especially directed at a political party and a group of people wearing saffron clothes”.
The administration linked the “vandalism” to the JNUSU-led protests against the increase in hostel fees, saying they had adopted an “aggressive way in which students who have no regard for or respect for the JNU are allowing themselves acts illegal and immoral “. JNUSU vehemently denied the accusation.
Modi inauguration and protests
JNU decided to invite Modi to unveil the statue of “one of the most beloved intellectuals and spiritual leaders”, as he “often invokes” the “life and mission” of Vivekananda in his speeches, and “reminds the youth of the country that follow their ideals, “according to the JNU administration. However, the invitation to Modi, even virtual, has upset the JNUSU who is ready to protest on campus. They believe that the Modi government” openly supported “violence in the campus and is attacking universities with the National Education Policy, which will result in funding cuts and privatization of education.
.
